Bishop Michael Campbell effectively closes Protect the Pope

By M Donnelly, on April 29th, 2014

It is with sorrow that I am writing to let you know that Bishop Campbell, the Bishop of Lancaster, has refused Nick’s request to resume news posting on Protect the Pope. Bishop Campbell has also stated that he does not want anyone posting on Protect the Pope on Nick’s behalf.

Although I have been news posting on my own behalf on the site, I now feel unable to continue.

Protect the Pope will close as a news service on Sunday 4th May, the Feast of the English Martyrs to allow a short period for readers of Protect the Pope to say goodbye to each other.

Thank you (on my own behalf) for all the prayers, support and help we have received.

Confused here, What precise objection(s) did the bishop have? Did the deacon have a fair hearing, a canon lawyer and theologian to assist and sort out any specific topics in dispute. This is new to me as I am not a reader of the blog. Bishops are too often like absolute monarchs and destroy reputations; clergy can be prima-donnas/ ouomini also. Ask for a hearing politely and respectfully unless they had a fair one already. Mrs D resune the blog after you recover. peace and prayer.

[moderated comment - just noticed you are also posting under other names and are possibly linked to posts from someone who has previously tried to post offensive comments on the site. I think by doing this you are trying to misled and so have removed your posts as I indicated I would in earlier posts if someone was posting under false names in this way]

The Bishop is not God…..though he may think he is. I would point out that he has absolutely no control whatsoever over whether you continue the blog yourself. He would be committing a grave sin if acted further against Deacon Nick because of the actions of yourself.

I think it would be utterly wrong to for you to stop the blog – you must stand up for what is right and not be intimidated by the Bishop.

What a state the Church is in today! Orthodoxy silenced by Bishop because it upsets the cosy liberal status quo. Don’t give in to him….PLEASE.

I am sure all the readers of PTP will be praying for you, Deacon Nick and the Bishop…..especially the Bishop as he clearly needs it most.

well well well…I wonder if those who spend their time underming the Teachings of the Church and seek to impose their 1960s/70s ‘modernism’ suffer the same fate at Deacon Nick? If Pope Benedict still occupied the Chair of St.Peter this silencing of ‘Protect the Pope’ would not have happened.Appeal to Rome and ask for this diktat to be rescinded.
Saint John XX111 and Saint John Paul II orate pro nobis! Ecclesia Dei est afflicta

That is disgraceful. I have never seen anything on this blog that was incompatible with Church teaching. You and Mr Donnelly have earned the thanks of us all. I’m sure you will both find other ways to serve.

I am extremely sorry to read this but Deacon Nick deserves respect for obeying the wishes of his Bishop. It shows that he puts his vocation and his oath of obedience first and that is an honourable but heartrending decision which I am sure that all of your readers will respect as an example of humility and faith rather than a ‘me, me, me’ attitude of defiance.

I believe we need to develop a more mature attitude to the virtue of obedience than Neil’s post suggests. One of the most powerful weapons in the Modernists arsenal is the appeal to false obedience. When wolves enter the sheep fold dressed as shepherds, the sheep are not obliged to expose their throats to their teeth – to do so is not obedience but madness.

Dear Mrs Donnelly. I’m sorry to hear about this and understand your own position. However I do think it’s just completely wrong, in principle, for any Bishop to be able to demand this. Can I suggest therefore the idea, if others are interested, that you might want to consider handing the blog over to a group of us which would be able to continue this useful and established forum and do so in a way that has no links to any particular diocese? What do others think?

Polycarped an excellent suggestion. It is a hefty job for one person to take on (and thank you for Deacon Nick and his wife for doing such a valiant job at highlighting the threats to Catholicism from within and without. I would love to help keep this communication vehicle alive — to raise awareness of the erosion of Catholic teaching and secular attacks. We need this blog now more than ever. However, I work and therefore my time is limited — but it is obvious from the many comments that the blog would be sorely missed — or continue to be supported if a way of keeping it can be worked out.

Did the Bishop make the effort to go to Rome to join the 700 plus Bishops from the world that did to con-celebrate the canonization ceremony? It would have been a worthy moment for reflection on the celebration and recognition of God’s two new and diverse saints.

Hi, I’ve only just come across PTPtbrough an article in the Catholic Herald about its closure. I’m a former RE teacher and run my own blog – albeit a housewifely one with my. Catholic life infusing it rather than as a focus. I just mentioned it as I do have experience in blogging.
If a group of people want to continue the blog and your looking for contributors I’d be pleased to take part defending the faith. God bless with the work either way!

We need to find a way of making this happen. We have some volunteers — but we need organisation. In this Internet age — this should be possible. I will give this some thought — but any suggestions welcome. Where is WoE– staunch supporter but silent of late?

I would be willing to help. A call to action was started in my diocese in the 70′s and I am very aware of their power and influence.
Now understand that anyone who wants to help has to act quickly. This blog will be taken down and all of the contents disposed of. copy the information for reference and exchange contact info. (e-mail’s) fast.

This is outrageous. It is bad enough a bishop’s silencing a deacon but what rights does a bishop have over a deacon’s wife?

While this is happening, one can read on the internet thousands of statements by dissenters attacking the Church’s teaching on homosexuality, chastity, marriage, abortion and everything else. In London Catholic churches, men dressed as women are on the altar doing the readings. Catholic schools and colleges are passing round condoms and inviting in not SPUC, but speakers from militant homosexual organisations. Men who have publicly celebrated homosexual partnerships are holding high positions in Catholic organisations and write in Catholic publications.

My good lady, tell the bishop that you will post not “on Nick’s behalf” but on your own.
Don’t give in.

I held high positions in Catholic education and I can declare that it is precisely because bishops tried to stop people from telling the truth that child sex abuse flourished. Known child abusers were moved from parish to parish. Those who tried to object were silenced.

One remembers that the other Catholic bishops tried to talk St John Fisher out of his resistance to Henry VIII. The English bishops certainly made Joan of Arc a saint – they burned her at the stake.

Chrysostom
Come on I have worked and visited lots of Catholic schools.
I have never seen “Catholic schools and colleges are passing round condoms and inviting in not SPUC, but speakers from militant homosexual organisations.”
You may need to add “some catholic schools” to this, but I find your suggestion insulting to those of us that are working at the hard end of passing on the faith.

Dear James
“I have never seen “Catholic schools and colleges are passing round condoms and inviting in not SPUC, but speakers from militant homosexual organisations.””
Really? Methinks you need to get out more; here’s a small selection:

[Moderated] If you truly have “worked [in] and visited lots of Catholic schools” then you should know that “passing on the faith” is not what happens in them and it hasn’t since the late sixties.
This classic essay from Daphne McLeod, who actually did work at the hard end of really passing on the faith in Catholic schools explains in concise and heartbreaking detail the destruction of Catholic education in this country which she witnessed firsthand and against which she has fought ever since. The record of the betrayal is right here, plus, she names the bishops who enthusiastically promoted heresy and apostasy in our schools while, even more enthusiastically, marginalising, ridiculing and slandering her and anyone else who tried to tell the truth and alert Catholic parents to the threat to their childrens’ eternal fate.http://www.christianorder.com/features/features_2006/features_may06.html
And I can tell you from firsthand experience, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAS CHANGED…..except it’s even worse now.
WAKE UP and smell the sulphur!

God will bless you mightily for your obedience to your legitimate superior,even if this seems to be an unjust decision on his part. Take comfort from the saints such as St Pio of Pietrelcina, St John Vianney and others who were silenced for a time or prevented from carrying out their ministry. Obedience is always fruitful. Christ was obedient unto death.
God bless you always, and God bless Bishop Campbell.
Marguerita

I am sorry to hear this – especially as your own gentle blogging style, Mrs Deacon, was a lovely complement to Deacon Nick’s forthright style. However – when one door closes, another opens, and I am sure that God has other work for you both to do. Many thanks for an entertaining and authoritative blog.

I will miss the warmth, humour and good natured banter that has been so characteristic of PtP. What a great shame that one of the most entertaining sites on the Internet has been take down by the Bishop of Lancaster.

I’ll particularly miss rifle”they wouldn’t do that to a muslim”man123, and Nod Off England, whose comments have always brought a welcome breath of sanity to a sometimes heated discussion.

Not being bound by the wishes of Bishop Campbell, and speaking as an evil secularist, I would be happy to offer my services to take over the running of PtP. In the unlikely event that my offer should be turned down, I want to offer my best wishes for the future to Deacon Nick and his good lady wife.

Dear M and Nick.A heartfelt thanks to you both for your service to our Holy Mother Church. Your bravery in face of some dissenting clergy and laity has been an inspiration to me and made me grow even closer to our Holy Church. All this period of trying is happening just the way our Pope Emeritus had said a long time ago. After this period the Church WILL emerge smaller,but more committed and of course VICTORIOUS. It also looks like the good Fr Blake is next in line to be silenced. I pray for you both and him too. But most of all for my pp who is a founding member of ACTA – for his conversion back to the Only True Church.

Another voice of truth silenced. How very sad. The bishop has been well and truly got at, it seems, and probably when he was invited to visit Rome with some of his hierarchical confreres. Prayers for him and for you. You will not be forgotten.

How the liberal-progressives, true descendants of the French Revolutionary mob and of the godless Bolshevik Commissar, show themselves to be despots in reality! And if you think there is no lineal descent between these groups and others we see daily within the Church, then you, dear reader, delude yourself.

That this should come to an orthodox Catholic blog from a Catholic Bishop is the more disgusting. But whether it’s the crowing of Cardinal Maradiaga, who recently complained about the growing Curial resistance to the revolution [moderated comment] planned for the Church’s moral teaching, or the appalling destruction of a vibrant religious order, or the closing of Protect the Pope, the “diabolical disorientation” clouding the minds of so many of the Hierarchy is clearly still as thick as pea soup.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is still in charge, though it seems that He is silent these fifty years. He watches and waits, allowing His Elect the time each one needs to sort himself out and move onto the right side of the spiritual barricades.

The vengeance to be wreaked by God on His enemies will be frightful. You, Mrs Donnelly, and your husband the Revd. Deacon Donnelly are certainly not amongst them.

So sorry to hear you have been closed down, sign of the times. You will be sorely missed both of you, it is getting more and more difficult to get true, unbiased news in these days. God Bless you both, you, the Bishop and diocese are in my and many others prayers. Thank you so much,

Has Bishop Campbell given a reason for wanting to close this site? What is wrong with speaking the truth and promoting the teachings of the Catholic Church? I follow this site because I have found it a safe site to learn the rights and wrongs of my faith. This news saddens my heart, as I have always been under the impression that the Catholic Church had anything to hide. Am I wrong?

Prayers for you, and God bless all who have ever accessed this website.

I am sorry for this disgraceful treatment on the part of the Bishop. And yes, we should pray for him.

However, you should NOT close the blog. It is an invaluable service to the Church, to the suffering Faithful and to the world at large. I presume you know that the Bishop has NO AUTHORITY to demand that you shut down your blog. No bishop has authority to do that which is objectively unjust. This is a patent and egregious ABUSE of POWER. When someone in a position of authority “asks” one to stop speaking and writing in defence of the Faith, he is acting in an illicit and unjust manner, and one can take canonical action to stop it. Catholic in Rome also advised you of this fact. The Church does not condone or permit abuse of power, and does not confer such authority on bishops. The Bishop is acting against the moral law and against the law of the Church, which is subject to Divine Law and the moral law.

To “obey” an objectively unjust and ultra vires direction is not good – it is objectively wrong. This is not true obedience because the direction is unjust and without valid authority. You must not acquiesce to this evil. We need people like you and Deacon Donnelly to continue to defend the the Deposit of Faith in the public square, and to decry grave scandals within the Church. If you give in to this intimidation, who, then will speak up for truth, against the evil destroying souls in and outside the Church?? If you refuse to be intimidated or coerced into stopping your invaluable work for the Faith, you will encourage others who are being persecuted for upholding the Faith and the moral law.

Don’t you see how the Faithful are being got rid of, one by one?? If you submit to this evil, many more will be persecuted with even greater vigour, and with impunity. You must not submit to that which is objectively unjust, and which the Bishop has no canonical or moral authority to do. If you continue to defend the truth on your blog, standing up against this immoral and ultra vires attack on your natural rights and duties, you will encourage others to stand up and refused to be immorally silenced and persecuted. If you give in, it just makes it easier for bishops to silence or otherwise persecute those who are defending the Deposit of Faith against attack.

Dear Reverend Donnelly, you have a DUTY, as well as the right, to stand up for the truth of the Faith and morals, and call out grave scandal and endangerment of souls within the Church. As you know, ultimately it’s about the salvation of souls. And closing your blog is bad for the salvation of souls. Think of the many hundreds of thousands who will be discouraged and less able to stand up against their persecution?? If you refused to be intimidated, and stop your good work, which is in full conformity to the Faith, you will encourage others to resist persecution and to continue defending the Faith and the Truth, in the face of it. God will give you the strength to continue, and many others will be encouraged to continue protecting the Faith, in the face of intimation.

Please, please, I beg of you. Do not give in. That is what the Devil wants – to silence all those who speak the truth! Others who defend the truth of the Faith, particularly against those abusing power in the Church are being systematically persecuted or silence. See Fr Ray Blake’s post of today – one example.

Please bring a formal appeal to the Holy See. You will be vindicated and the Bishop informed that he does not have the authority to do what he is purporting to do, and further, that it is unjust and against the interests of the Church. This bishop does not have a leg to stand on – and he knows it. He is relying on you giving in to his objectively immoral demands, through a false sense of obedience or loyalty. Please, do not give in to this intimidation. The Church needs you to continue your defence of the Faith, and to give leadership and comfort to others who are so lacking in leadership, and encouragement in this time of widespread persecution within the Church.

We need you. We need your example in resisting the silencing of the truth!! Please, we need not to give in to evil but fight it. We need to stick together, support each other in refusing to stop upholding the Faith. Don’t think you’d be just sacrificing yourself, it would mean many others feel alone and unable to resist the coercion to silence them, or fight their persecution, while countless others lose courage and hope by the suppression of one who kept up the truths of the Faith.

Don’t let the Faith be silenced! They first came for the Jews, but I did nothing as I was not a Jew . . .

It is unacceptable that a lay person such as yourself has been made to feel they must stop blogging, but of course it can only be done by feelings since the Bishop has no authority over you in your blogging. Just make sure the blog is not listed under your name, dear lady. Please do not let your feelings lead you in this way. This blog does a lot of good work. My only advice would be as it is to all bloggers: leave criticism of persons aside to deal with issues, and do not to allow commentators to compromise that stand. Where charity is lacking, so is grace.
God bless
Andi.

Heartfelt thanks to you and to your husband for all the good work you have done with this blog. I am confident that you and he will continue to do good things for the Faith, and for souls, in the future.

Has your bishop given any justification for his decision, or is this just an arbitrary and capricious abuse of power which infringes on your rights to free speech as laid out in civil law by the European Convention on Human Rights and which the Bishop is bound to uphold under Canon 22 of the code?:

Can. 22 Civil laws to which the law of the Church yields are to be observed in canon law with the same effects, insofar as they are not contrary to divine law and unless canon law provides otherwise.

There is no justification. If there had been, formal canonical procedures would have been followed. Because there has been no infringement of Church law on the part of Deacon Donnelly, the proper formal procedures to make such a judicial determination and impose the appropriate penalty have not been formally pursued. What the bishop has done is unlawful and the Holy See would find this very quickly. It’s a very clear and simple case. The bishop knows this but thi is he can get away with it because he thinks his pressure will be sufficient to coerce Deacon Donnelly to comply, or a false sense of obedience will cause him to comply.

I am sorry for the community. It is always sad when a community faces a challenge to it’s existence. But you know, it is in the nature of Conservative movements that they eventually to give way to change. This is a good example of that.

Thanks to you and to Nick for providing the service you have rendered, a responsible use of the means of social communication for the good of the Church.

Thanks also for your generous deference to the order of the bishop even in a matter where his prudential judgment does not seem best to you.

You can entrust the good of the Church, universal and local, to the Lord who gave her to us.

I trust that the bishop is making this directive out of a sincere wish for the peace and flourishing of the Church. Yet it gives the appearance of undue severity. In the age of the internet, efforts by the powerful to silence or punish less powerful persons draw broad disapproval and adverse publicity: this is a famous phenomenon called the Streisand Effect. Bishop Campbell is far better known now than he was a few months ago, and known for stifling an apostolate of the faithful.

The solution is simple is it not? Close down Protect the Pope by all means but create a new blog called “In Defence of the Papacy” (or some such). This new blog will not have been created by Deacon Nick so how can his Bishop have any say over it? He certainly could not claim that anyone was posting “on Nick’s behalf”. Having said that, I am staggered by the Bishop’s action. ACTA must be laughing all the way to wherever it is they go to. The Tablet will be doing a lap of honour and a certain Professor will be delirious with joy. And the New Evangelisation gets set back massively. Some achievement.

It is people such as those in ACTA that are behind this illegal (and grossly immoral) action. It needs to be brought to the court of the Holy See to put a definitive stop to it. And deter others trying the same thing.

Completely predictable. Now can Bishop Campbell, along with all our other Bishops, do the honourable thing and ask for all copies of the Tablet to removed from our churches? Who is actually causing more dissension, discord and disobedience to the Gospel, this blog or likes of Clifford Longley and Catherine Pepinster up at the Tablet? How much longer Lord, how much longer…

It is shocking that such a solid, orthodox blog as Protect the Pope, which gives a voice to everyone willing and desiring to engage in dialogue, is being silenced. A sad day for everyone, and not reflecting well on the hierarchy in the UK. I thank God himself for the gift that Protect the Pope was, both under Nick and yourself M. I trust that God will find a way to make his voice heard throughout the UK. Teresa Kehoe.

So we just silence the congregation when things start to get rocky. Jesus was not afraid of what people said whether in truth or not. He never silenced anyone, so why does our Bishop? This is a blatant disregard for freedom of speech. The church is always happy to condemn any government that imposes restrictions on the freedoms of speech.

Your grace I’m sorry you feel that this site should be closed, but this is a voice of the people. How can you just silence us? Are we worth not more than a penny. Are we to be silenced like the victims and families of abuse? You speak of about transparency and openness in the church yet hear you are closing it down this community. It doesn’t make sense.

This site Protect the Pope is truly in the spirit of Vatican II and promotes opinion and dialogue so please answer us to why you have decided to close it. A man should give a reason for his actions to be deemed just.

how sad !the wolves are at the door and in the bishops play.your writing has been a source of inspiration to me -you told the truth ;you kept the faith,god bless you.why do our bishops play to the modern world and not to the one holy mystical body of our lord jesus christ in the catholic church.?keep the faith anyway and pray that this crisis will end.maybe bishop campbell is invoking the spirit of vatican 11 !!!.i will pray that he becomes catholic !god bless .philip johnson.

Those who appreciate the news from this website will be happy to learn of lay-led sites in the United States, located within dioceses where the Bishop is not afraid of sunshine, such as pewsitter.com and newadvent.org.

This was one of the first places I turned to when I had an wholly unexpected and frankly bewildering experience when the Pope visited the UK. In that hospital room watching on TV as the Pope gave his first Mass the veil between heaven & earth became almost imperceptible.

It was obvious that I would find this blog and seek guidance from the author and as a consequence my whole family is now Catholic.

Welcome home Stuart and all your family. Deacon Nick and his wife have done us all an invaluable service, may God bless them a hundred fold for everything they have done. Deacon Nick and M will carry on God’s work in other ways from now on.

They have set a high standard of honesty and courage. What’s to stop someone else / others from taking up the reins where they left off. The only lesson to learn from the bishop’s action is that whoever carries the torch for truth in this role, albeit under a new name, has/have no choice but to do it incognito. Then the bishops don’t have to fear being sued or pursued by people who don’t want to hear the truths of the Catholic faith. As we all know, we’re not going to hear it from the bishops or many of the priests of the neoprotestant church!

I am saddened that so many Catholucs do not seem to realise that the bishop does not have the authority to do what he’s done. If he wants to impose a penalty of “silence”, he has to follow formal procedures and prove a serious infringement of Church law on the part of Deacon Donnelly, for which the imposition of such a penalty is permissible under Church law.

This is so sad – I will remember you in my prayers . Bishop Campbell – why are some groups of Catholics allowed to debate publicly without recrimination e.g. ACTA but others are silenced? This is unjust and inhumane.

Dear Nick & M
The fact that this is not unexpected does not make it any less sad and unjust.
A great many people have been encouraged, informed and inspired by your selfless efforts, hopefully some of us will pick up the torch and, in whatever ways we are able, take a stand and fight for Holy Mother Church. Lord knows both of you deserve a rest and some peace and quiet!
One plea I will make to PTP readers is, start acting openly. I mean, start using your own name, come out in public if you are concerned about the mass apostasy within the Church. I’ve left messages and comments on websites and forums under a “handle” lots of times, I’ve written articles the same way…..I’m not doing it anymore. Will you get flack? Yes. Will you get unpleasant things said about you? Ditto. Will people lie about you and smear your character? You betcha! But, when you’re standing in front of Our Blessed Lord, looking at his wounds at your own particular judgement, you won’t have to mumble, ““Well, I couldn’t say anything in public, or people would have been MEAN to me!”
Thank you Nick & M, THANK YOU and God bless and keep you both.

Dear Chloe
Well, speaking as a professional Chicken for most of my life, “With God all things are possible”.
I know what has really helped me has been studying the lives of the saints; one of the (very many) reasons our Faith is “Glorious” is the humbling and inspiring examples of those men and women who were GIANTS of faith and courage, such as St Damian of Molokai – try watching this account of his holy life and NOT tearfully beseeching Our Lord to grant you even one hundredth of this Saint’s courage and self-sacrifice!

The Apostles were hiding and keeping a low profile even AFTER meeting the Risen Lord but, with the arrival of the Holy Ghost, St Peter KICKED open the door and started bellowing out the message of Christ to a crowd of strangers. The Church in time and space is The Church Militant…that’s us
I will certainly pray for you, in your kindness, please do the same for me. GOD BLESS!

Thank you both for all your faithful work, and to all those whose contributions have been an education to one such as myself who is an active and practising Catholic but unable to put my faith and the reasons behind it into words. I am sorry you are being silenced when so many who deviate from the truth are given every facility to promote their nonsense. May God and our two new wonderful Saints John and John Paul bless you in all your endeavours. A sad and fond farewell.

One can only assume that there are some within our Church that do not want ACTA exposed for what they really are. If the blog cannot be continued, then at least the information currently on this blog ought to stand as it is, rather than be taken down. The information currently on this blog is very valuable and if it can’t be added to ought to be left as reference material.

Thank you Deacon Nick for running this blog since 2010. Your contribution to the Church has been inestimable. I imagine you will still produce booklets for the Catholic Truth Society? Please don’t leave Twitter, either- even if you must make a change or two to your profile. God Blessings to you, Mrs Donnelly and your family, and I will give you in my prayers.

Loyal Catholics will find a way to stand up and protect the Catholic Faith derived from deep scripture. The readers of this blog are LOYAL CATHOLICS and clearly do not agree with Bishop Campbell’s misguided decision.

C’est vraiment dommage et consternant!
Thank you very much indeed for your excellent news service which I appreciated very much…
I wish you all the best you may hope and you can rely on the assurance of my prayers to the intention of all your likable (sympathique) community.
Union de prière LD

Really sorry to learn that ‘Protect the Pope’ has been forced into closure. Virtually the first blog for me every day, absolutely loyal to the Church, knowledgeable and reliable, and not afraid to speak the truth. Thank you for all the good that you have done. We hope that the same treatment will be afforded to those who deserve it, such as the Tablet and various openly dissident groups masquerading as Catholic.

I have never commented on this blog before, and only ever read a handful of articles – but this attempt at suppression means I would gladly over to help keep it alive were it to be passed to a group of other people. I’m a student studying at the University of York, attending the Extraordinary form (please pray for the Oratorians, who do such good work)and would love to aid any new management of this blog, in any way possible. Whilst Rev. Nick must obey the Bishop (would the same be done if the theological positions were reversed, I wonder?), and I can see why you feel unable to carry on – I don’t think it should be made easy for the Bishop!

He clearly wants this blog to end, and is willing to use roundabout methods to achieve this. Our requirement to obey him extends, however, only to the letter of what he says – and only into areas in which he is in agreement with Canon law. I cannot imagine he would, or would have the authority to, ban everyone from his Diocese from contributing. Even if he did (and could) the blog could be maintained by such a diversity of people, from different diocese, that only the Bishop’s Council (or higher authorities) would have jurisdiction over us all. I cannot imagine happy faces in the Vatican if the Bishops Council of England and Wales bans all the faithful from posting in a particular blog (especially not one so complimentary to His Holiness!) In short, continued devotion to His Holiness and Holy Mother Church will serve it’s purpose and allow the faithful to avoid any issues in more localised Church governance.

May Our Lady, Queen of the Clergy, pray for all our bishops, and guide them to do right and nurture the faith.

Matthew, it seems that there are now three of us (you, me, Sonja) who might be willing to work as a group to keep this great blog alive, if Nick and Mrs Donnelly were open to that. Any other takers? Like Sonja I would struggle alone due to other commitments but I’d happily work with a committed group. I think this is now a matter of principle as well. Nick and Mrs Donnelly, please feel free to send me a private email and also to pass on my email, privately, to Sonja and Matthew. God Bless.

I agree – we must act to salvage this blog and its article history. There is a whole archive of wonderful insights and informative links that must be preserved from the off switch. With support I am keen to help in whatever way i can, and the number is probably greater than 3. (Andrea posted on this blog on April 30, 2014 at 3:14 pm, has volunteered and also has experience of blogging.) Mr. & Mrs. Donnelly, feel free to share my email address with Polycarped and others — so that we can get in touch and find a way forward. As an aside — I was in Rome this past weekend — an amazing experience. I met on the Streets so many beautiful Catholics from all over the world — who had absolutely no problem with any of the Latin parts of the mass and who understand the beauty and universality of the Church. I look forward to doing my bit to keep this blog alive and a forum for people who want to share and defend our Catholic Faith from the evil within and without.

Sonja – yes, you are right, there are definitely more than three of us – hard to keep up with so many comments! A great sign of support. Let’s hope a group of us can make this work between us. Hope to be in touch soon.

God bless and keep both of you.
Please, may I ask you, offer your sufferings and hurt and incomprehension
for the good and the intentions of your Bishop. Humbly submitting to his REQUEST
in a spirit of faternal and filial loyalty will – for sure – attract myriad blessings for both
you and him. Entrusting you and all your desires to Our Lady of Good Counsel.

Deacon Donnelly MOST CERTAINLY IS NOT REQUIRED to comply with this “request” or “wish” on the part of the bishop. There is no lawful or moral authority for the imposition of the penalty – hence the informal, pressure-applying method employed. I implore you, not only for yourself but many, many others, to bring a formal complaint to the judicial authorities of the Holy See. (As for instance, Fr Pavone did, when enemies leant on the bishop. Deacon Donnelly’s case is so simple and clear, it could be dealt with summarily. There was NO ATTEMPT to follow fair procedures, or comply in any way with natural justice in imposing this most severe of penalties (the removal of the natural right to free speech). I imagine the bishop would not even try to assert that Deacon Donnelly has infringed any law of the Church, never mind one which could possibly attract such a penalty. If you comply with this grossly unjust, arbitrary, severe, unlimited and vague penalty, unattached to specific, proved infringements of Church law (or the moral law), more will suffer as a result, as the enemies of the Faith will be emboldened to unlawfully silence or otherwise intimidate or persecute those who uphold the Deposit of Faith and morals. If you surrender to this injustice, the persecution in the Church will escalate exponentially. Remember, many bishops may be subject to blackmail or intimidation by the enemies of the Faith who have power in the Church. All orthodox Catholic bloggers, priests, deacons and lay should come together to fight the widespread persecution. Remember, it’s not for yourselves per se, but to help others not to lose courage but to resist persecution, or not be subjected to it, in the first place. And to continue the vital service you were giving to the Faithful when the truth is being suppressed on such a large scale, helping people keep to the Faith, or bringing people back – saving countless souls.

Sad to hear this news, and yes, prayers for you both and for His Lordship!Don’t forget that many saints were made by accepting heavy crosses from the hands of a loving mother: The Church. But I do hope that PTPII will soon come about DV.

I implore you to employ a very good canon lawyer who has dealt with such cases involving injustice against orthodox priests or deacons on the part of bishops. Fr Pavone’s lawyer could probably recommend a good lawyer based in the UK.

I am very sorry that you feel that you have no alternative but to discontinue your valuable work for the Church. It will be very sad if you are deprived totally of the opportunity to defend sound Catholic teaching, which you have consistently sought to do on this blog. It has been very much appreciated.

Is Bishop Campbell keeping an eye on final Blog comments? If so — would he like to comment or explain where he stands on issues such as this one: [moderated comment - this has been referred to the safeguarding office today who are dealing with it]
Bishop Campbell may be able to put one blog to rest — but there will be others. Interesting to note he does not invite comment on his blog — and it is not easy to find an email address. However, all supporters of PtP can make his mail bag heavier by writing to him to ask him WHY?

Loyal Catholics will find a way to stand up and protect the Catholic Faith derived from deep scripture. The readers of this blog are LOYAL CATHOLICS and clearly do not agree with Bishop Campbell’s misguided decision.

I think the bishop oversteps his authority here. I could be wrong, I am not a Canon lawyer. You are perfectly free to blog under a new name; Deacon Nick is subject to obedience of his bishop, his wife, not so.

I hate it when clerics do this – they don’t ‘get’ the internet and think in their pride that they can do whatever they like. They trample underfoot the faithful, meanwhile the heretics and wolves run roughshod over the sheep, all with the wink and the nod of so many bishops.

Please extend my thanks and appreciation and good wishes to Deacon Nick. From Ireland, I’ve enjoyed his blog over the years.

Why you people continue to fiddle while Rome burns beats me. This is a total disgrace. These modernist bishops and Pope will not tolerate the slightest orthodoxy, let alone Traditional Catholicism. You must be able to see that and, frankly, “please pray for the bishop” isn’t good enough. He needs more than prayers – he needs a good lesson in Catholicity. Here’s how to give him one…

Get thee ALL to your nearest SSPX chapel – that’s the best and surest way to get the message across to this bishop and any others of like mind (the entire Modernist brigade, in other words).

Go on – you know it makes sense. Seriously, otherwise, you are co-operating with the revolution, with the diabolical destruction of the Church, in human terms. Not something any of us wishes to have to discuss at our Judgment.

Why close down the site?? To be blunt, though I thank you and the deacon for your blessed service to the universal church, you would be failing to do your Christian duty if you let this site die.
Yes, the deacon must be obedient, even to this Judas bishop. And you may feel it necessary to remove yourself, and previous content from it, but you are called to be obedient to Truth.
Give the site over to another individual. Otherwise, you let Arius win.
Let us pray for Bishop Campbell and all those who persecute Christians, for “woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed. It would be better were it for that man if he had never been born.”

Dear Deacon Nick and your good wife, this news is awful. A Bishop afraid of a blog? Pathetic. Brings out my most caustic and cynical side I’m afraid. I’m so grateful for all I have learned from your blog. As we all know, the forces of anti-Gospel have to try to silence the Truth. Those of us sinners who know we are drowning seize the Truth as a life-preserver. Anyone who waters down the Truth either doesn’t recognise a life-preserver when he sees one or doesn’t think he’s drowning.

This is monstrous. But,as many have said, a bishop has no jurisdiction over the legitimate private activities of a deacon’s wife. Continue the blog, or, if that should cause problems for your husband, which would be harrassment, hand it to other lay persons who will continue the good work.And let the world know how the bishop is acting, or, in the words of Pope Francis, “haga lio en los dioceses”.

Dear Deacon Nick, Thank you for your years of clear, measured reporting of difficult matters, where it would have been far easier to simply rant. Perhaps it is reasoned argument which the bishop’s advisers fear most – ranters they can all to easily dismiss as “rad trads” and nutcases. I am desperately sorry your blog has been silenced, but respect and admire your decision to acquiesce in obedience. You and your wife are in my prayers. As is your bishop.

My Catholic friends, Be not afraid, it is the injustice of what those of us who attend SSPX services have had to deal with for many a year. Get used to it because it will require the blood of martyrs to reverse the trends of the Church today! Please God grant me the strength!!!

There is certainly nothing wrong with a person not in your diocese (and thus not under the authority of Bishop Campbell)taking over PROTECT THE POPE or starting “another blog” with the same name, and carrying on as before. Here in the USA, 60 years ago, our Servant of God Dorothy Day said that if the Abp. of New York told her to close down “The Catholic Worker,” she would just go over the river to New Jersey.

She also said that “You don’t need permission to perform the Works of Mercy.” And this blog fulfills its obligation on *several* works of mercy, “Instructing the Ignorant,” “Admonishing the Sinner,” and “Comforting the Afflicted.”

Obedience necessitates lawful authority and a direction that is not unjust. There is no authority given by the Church to any bishop to abuse his power and act unjustly by unlawfully imposing a severe, unlimited penalty without lawful grounds (serious infringement of Church law) and due process.

Some of us are called to higher things than the media-like obedience and suffering. The Church can be renewed in silence. This is my faith. All bloggers will be silenced soon, either by governments or some in the Church.

Do not be surprised. I am not surprised, nor shocked. This is the walk of saints.

God bless the Deacon and his wife. May they find the joy which comes with deep suffering.

Surely a group of readers could set up a new blog, to replace this one? Several have shown that they can write for it, so what is stopping a new lay initiative? It is disgraceful that a voice loyal to the Church is being shut down. What has probably irked the (principalities and) powers is that PTP provided information from the coalface about real abuses or negligence. Is everyone just going to go away? Deacon Nick provided a real resource, a pity if it can’t continue in another place….

†JMJ† I hope you will consider passing the domain name along to another faithful catholic. He certainly doesn’t have the power to shut down a website. He’s only doing this because a “DEACON” is running it. May God bless you both for being a beacon of light in the darkness of this world.

Congratulations to both of you on a really good and noble achievement – PTP is such a good and necessary idea, that we really owe it to you for some of us to carry the work on and spin off not just one successor blog, but many, so that eventually the point will be understood: that Faith and Freedom will prevail.
You are both such natural bloggers – and so much remains to be researched and published – that I hope you will be able resume after a pause (a pause you both deserve, for I can imagine how much work PTP must involve on top of everything else you have to do.)

I undertake to say five decades of the Rosary for you and your private intentions, at the altar of Our Lady, and to include you in my En Ego prayer before the crucifix.

Give up the Diaconate, and Blog! I am certain your blogging has more impact/fruit than your parish work. Then out of necessity seek out the SSPX…God Bless Them! They are a lifeboat in these tumultuous times.

Well, the persecution against Catholics from within the Church is not anything new. It is always a sad situation however. The Franciscans of the Immaculate also know all about this. The lay people associated with the Order are not even allowed to make a Marian pilgrimage or promote Days with Mary or sell the good holy literature. The priests are the only ones not allowed to offer the TLM except for special permission which is essentially not given at all. I am sure there are priests elsewhere who understand that their bishop would be most displeased if they offer the TLM but they are not publicly prohibited. This Deacon must be obedient to his Ordinary even if it is an unjust persecution. That is how things work. If he was just a lay man, he could continue but he is a member of the clergy. The persecuted ones must offer their sufferings for so many souls are in great need.

A few minutes after reading this post I opened up my book of daily Mass readings for April. There for last Saturday, April 26, was the Mass reading of Acts 4 13-21. “So they (the leaders of the Sanhedrin) called them back and ordered them (Peter and John) not to speak or teach at all in the Name of Jesus.Peter and John said to them however in reply, “Whether it is right for us in the sight of God for us to obey you,rather than God, you be the judges. It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.”
Where there is no legitimate authority, there is no disobedience.

Hi Michael – at the moment the intention is that it will no longer provide a news service. However, I am not intending to take the site down and am still thinking and praying about what to do next with it.

I am a good friend of the webmaster of this site. I have followed the stories and growth of this site from the beginning and have been most impressed with the integrity, honesty and truth published herein and how it has grown into an influencial site in such a short space of time.

I am very saddened by the news of this site closure. I think it is a travesty that such a decision has been forced upon the authors of this site, by the organisation you have faithfully defended these past few years.

Clearly, the enemy was always inside the gates. We are headed for dark times. Although I cannot in good conscience describe myself as Christian, and I am not Catholic, I have been impressed and humbled by the writing on this site. I shall pray for better outcomes from all of this.

Thank you for your work these past few years. It is much appreciated by Catholic and non Catholic alike.

Just a quick technical question. What happens to the blog archives? All those wise and fruitful comments – many with great links to great Catholic sources? — Will all that still be visible and searchable? Or does all that history disappear with the off switch? Can the domain name be purchase?

Popular websites are archived by the internet archive, a copy of this site can be found there. It takes a few months for updates to appear, so the most recent version will not yet be found there. This copy will remain at the internet archive. A number of other people have downloaded copies the full site is currently around 3.2 GB in size.

The owner of protectthepope.com can leave the site up on the internet and as long as they pay the fees, it will remain.

If the ownership fee for protectthepope.com is allowed to lapse it will then be available for purchase. I believe protectthepope.co.uk is available to buy, no doubt other versions of the address are also available.

Mon courroux est à son comble!
Since Pope Francis has abdicated the exercise of his authority vis-à-vis the bishops and asked nunciatures not to intervene in their affairs, persecution against the traditionalists will increase for sure and bishops will be able “to dance Brazilian Samba with rabbis and freemasons around the ruins of the Tradition more than ever before”… That is clear.
For more than half a century, the Church Authorities have acted without regard for the sensibility of the faithful who were rightly scandalized and mostly deserted churches, whilst the others most assiduous were precipitated into schism… Now, such Authorities are undoubtedly responsible for this situation and will have to be accountable.

This is a most regrettable development and has left faithful Catholics in the UK baffled and deeply upset. There was absolutely nothing on this web site that could justify such a move by the Bishop.
And as usual, something that happens all to often in this country, Bishop Campbell, has not had the good grace or courtesy to explain his actions.

During Don Bosco’s vision of hell, his companion told him disobedience was the the most serious sin. Please support Nick and Mrs M in this. Their sacrifice will bring great graces even though that seems unlikely now. The suggestion that someone else start similarly named blog as Mike2 said is good. But with the Donnellys attitude of respect and obedience. Pray like mad as well that they be vindicated. It would be tragic if all the previous posts were lost but I think even closed down websites can be accessed through archive.org. The Franciscans of the Immaculate remain obedient even through these horrific trials and this also will bring huge graces. Let us support all these good people in this truly heroic sacrifice. God is not mocked. He will prevail. . Try and come, as many of you who can, on the Walsigham LMS pilgrimage this year to pray that all this rubbish stops in our country. Our Lady of Walsingham, ora pro nobis

Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world.
Pope PIUS IX.
If all the supporters of PTP offered up the Rosary during the month
of May for the Bishop and the Blog – So lets retreat and pray.

Let us beg Our Lord to send the Holy Spirit upon His suffering Church in England and throughout the world, and to dispense through Our Lady to our Church’s hierarchs the grace and courage not to fear the truth. Deacon and Mrs. Donnelly, Bishop Campbell, and all the faithful of the Diocese of Lancaster are in my prayers.

Nick was silenced because he spoke the truth to power…and power did not like it.
In the greater scheme of things…this enforced closure will become a marker of where things …for the moment…are going.
Every blessing to you both.

What the Bishop’s action shows is that the Forces of Darkness within the Church are mighty powerful. Has the Donnelly family considered moving to Shrewsbury where, it would appear, the Forces of Light are in the ascendant? I wonder if Bishop Campbell ever intends to make public the reasons for his decision, other in vague and woolly terms. God bless the Donnelly family.

If I may quote from another blog site…“Bishops also have on their side the great respect of most Catholics for Bishops. Quite often a blog will criticise a Bishop severely, only to find that another blog tells a different side to the story, or the Bishop issues a statement clarifying things – and then receives a lot of support from Catholic bloggers. The discussion will continue, but the Bishop is not exactly powerless to defend himself. Bloggers work in an environment which is open to everyone. One of the healthy things about such open communication is precisely that you cannot rely on personal standing to squash disagreement.”
I must thank Deacon and Mrs Martina Donnelly for supplying me and I’m sure many others, with a source of important and necessary information regarding the ‘goings on’ inside and at the fringe of the Catholic Church.
This blog gave us all a forum to share our views in the open and various styles. I would like to know the real reason that why the crosier has come down with a deadening thump! Were we getting too prickly for comfort for some?
“If there is something wrong in what I said point it out”, John 18:23.
Bishop Campbell, don’t just shut me down without telling me where I’ve gone wrong. I need to know.
Bye and blessings to ALL

I’m an Anglican, and therefore only a sympathetic observer here, but I do wonder what the Bishop thinks his decision will achieve. This blog will not close without generating a considerable amount of adverse comment about the closure decision. Bad publicity for His Lordship, his diocese and the Church in general. The impression of pointless authoritarianism is likely to deter men considering whether they have a vocation to the permanent diaconate, and indeed those considering conversion.

I agree with Non Angelus Sed Anglus. Let someone start a new blog written under a pseudonym. There used to be a highly popular Catholic blog written by “Diogenes.” The author was never known. The Boston Catholic Insider blog is written by an anonymous blogger. Mark Twain and Lewis Carroll were pseudonyms. Please, please, do not allow the voice of truth to be silenced.

Thank you both for all I have learned about the Catholic faith from this blog. I checked it every day and it has been a source of great encouragement in these difficult times when the Church seems to be in a state of chaos and getting worse.

I lived through the dreadful time after Vatican 2 and somehow by the grace of God held on to my faith.
Now it feels as if I’m living through the same thing again. It can be hard not to despair.

It was very good to get a balanced view based on solid Catholic teaching from two faithful members of the Church and also to know that so many others are having the same difficulties.
Bob Franks put it very well when he said that he was unable to put his faith and the reasons behind it into so many words. Your blog has helped me to do that.

It is appalling and actually frightening that you have been censored with no public reason given. Are those of us who are trying to live by the rules of the Catholic Church not allowed to have a voice?

I am a student and disciple of Saint Louis de Montfort. For me, obedience to the Church is everything. Having said that though, by what right does the Bishop demand that the lay faithful cease to manifest to the Sacred Pastors their views on matters which concern the good of the Church providing that, in so doing, they always respect the integrity of faith and morals and demonstrate reverence to the Pastors while taking into account the common good and the dignity of individuals? It would appear that the Bishop is violating the canonical rights of the lay faithful.

Can. 212 §3 They have the right, indeed at times the duty, in keeping with their knowledge, competence and position, to manifest to the sacred Pastors their views on matters which concern the good of the Church. They have the right also to make their views known to others of Christ’s faithful, but in doing so they must always respect the integrity of faith and morals, show due reverence to the Pastors and take into account both the common good and the dignity of individuals.

The source of this canon is Lumen Gentium n. 37. This canon reflects the fact that the institutional Church and its leadership recognize the fact that the Church is a community and that all faithful have a right to provide input into that is good for this community. The right to share information and opinions is extended between the faithful (lay and cleric) and the bishops as well as among the faithful themselves.

Canon 227—Lay Christian faithful have the right to have recognized that freedom in the affairs of the earthly city which belongs to all citizens; when they exercise such freedom, however, they are to take care that their actions are imbued with the spirit of the gospel and take into account the doctrine set forth by the magisterium of the Church; but they are to avoid proposing their own opinion as the teaching of the Church in questions which are open to various opinions [I suppose this applies equally well to theologians, however much many of them may disagree!].

Canon 228—#1 Qualified lay persons are capable of assuming from their sacred pastors those ecclesiastical offices and functions which they are able to exercise in accord with the prescriptions of the law.

#2 Lay persons who excel in the necessary knowledge, prudence, and uprightness are capable of assisting the pastors of the Church as experts or advisors; they can do so even in councils, in accord with the norm of law.

Canon 229—#1 LAY PERSONS ARE BOUND BY THE OBLIGATION AND POSSESS THE RIGHT TO ACQUIRE A KNOWLEDGE OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE ADAPTED TO THEIR CAPACITY AND CONDITION SO THAT THEY CAN LIVE IN ACCORD WITH THAT DOCTRINE, ANNOUNCE IT, DEFEND IT WHEN NECESSARY, AND BE ENABLED TO ASSUME THEIR ROLE IN EXERCISING THE APOSTOLATE.

I would search for a Canon lawyer and address what, in my view, appears to be a violation of your Canonical rights.

I’m so sorry Deacon Nick and Mrs M.
To be sure your blog was a brilliant source of “current affairs” within the Church and you always seemed to be fair. Thanks for giving us a voice. Such an embarrassing abuse of power by the Bishop I would say. But I think these “silencing” abuses will get worse as the Church seems to be degenerating.
Reminds me of Pilate, …”Truth, what is that?”

Closing down debate is always sad but the tone of this site has rarely encouraged such debate. I am no fan of Bishop Campbell but suspect the nature of this site is incompatible with the role of a member of the clergy. This does not prevent it being run by anyone else. However, the closure conforms nicely with the narrative of victimhood of the conservative minority, as does the selection of the feast of English Martyrs to do so. I hope someone picks up the challenge as it is entertaining to read such sites, the theological equivalent of Basil Fawlty beating a car with a branch. Good luck to you all.

This site is most certainly NOT incompatible with the role of a clergyman – quite the opposite. The site promotes the Faith in its fullness and the same for the moral law. It is conducive to saving souls, particularly from being misled by grave scandals caused by those with authority and responsibility in the Church. It promotes obedience to lawful and lawfully exercised authority. Salvation of souls is the supreme law of the Church.

“Lay” I’m not sure why you are hallucinating that a DEACON…you know, the guy who is a clergyman and whose specific function it is to READ THE GOSPEL, and one who is also authorized to give sermons, would NOW suddenly be considered unfit to spread the same gospel via a website. WEre his faculties yanked because he said something contrary to the faith? NO. Which tells me this is a vendetta for some reason, either by the bishop himself, or the bishop is doing it at the behest of someone higher up, out of fear of persecution himself. The Deacon has not said or preached anything contrary to the gospel. Perhaps you yourself are uneducated as the what Jesus taught and said and did. I suppose one must be patient with you old hippies, or young ‘uns who were never taught the faith to begin with. Watching you people try and be clever is entertaining. [Moderated]

As you said, rightly: “I will obey because I take seriously the promise I made when I was ordained. If I didn’t obey him I’d be no different from the dissenters who rebel against the doctrines of the Church and disobey her discipline.” If more (all) clergy would say and do that from their hearts, the world would be a much better place. Your obedience to your bishop is entirely appropriate and appreciated.

“I continue to encourage all faithful and loyal Catholics to take up the responsibility given us by Our Lord to safeguard, defend and teach the divine doctrines of the Church (30th of April, Catholic Herald article).” You call has been heard.

On a related note, I hope you will not delete the blog itself. It renders any links on other sites useless, and opens the blog address to attacks from very unsuitable sites – they take over the URL and all links then direct the user to things like adverts for viagra (that’s the least offensive result!)

Quite apart from that, this blog has been an excellent resource for many of us attempting to explain the truths of the Catholic Faith.

What very sad news, but not entirely unexpected. I agree that the Bishop does not however have the right to silence Mrs. Deacon though. I concur with Non Angelus Sed Anglus and would further add that it seems that heterodoxy is rewarded whilst orthodox views are consistently penalised as in this case. It stands logic on its head…
All of us need to storm heaven with our prayers to implore God’s mercy on the Church, and pray for our Bishops. If we are not allowed to speak out then it is the only course of action left to us.
maryclare

Never read this blog until today. Thrilled though that SOMEBODY is minding his bishop and the suffering this deacon will undergo is EXACTLY the kind of suffering Jesus did for us – so it will all pay off by God’s rich blessings like no one can imagine.

Deacon will become a better deacon. Jesus Christ will win (still, and all the more this is how it will happen!)

Praised Be Jesus Christ – obedience to his bishop!

I’m sure the bishop will be impressed in time as well, as the deacon matures in humility and grace and love for him.

Look at St. Catherine Labouré and what happened after her long period. Thank God.

This guy may sound extreme, but in fact, if you watch his podcasts you’ll see he is absolutely punctilious in his adherence to the strict and literal rule of the Magisterium – he does not deviate from it by one scintilla.

Dear Gary
‘sfunny you should say that……
My wife has made that suggestion a number of times, usually along the lines of, “Why don’t you start a blog and share your profound spiritual insight and colossal intellect with a hungry world, Oh, Great One”….or something like that, anyway.
However, I am IOO% slap-bang alongside all those who are urging the Donnelly’s NOT to obey an unjust order with no moral or juridical justification and/or expand the PTP ‘franchise’. Remember that tear-jerking, spine-stiffening scene in the original “Spartacus” film?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKCmyiljKo0

I strongly suspect Bishop Campbell’s reason for shutting down this outstanding blog for Christ and his truth was that he and his ilk found it divisive. They would find it divisive because the postings on this site were for Christ and his doctrine and in support of His One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church. This site challenged modern day heresies and all nonsense that many priests and bishops believe. We have had ‘civil ideological war’ in the church since the 1960 with a great loss of Faith.

I seriously doubt the Bishop has jurisdiction on Catholics not in his Diocese. I doubt he has authority to command us to stop blogging in cyberspace. I do believe his outrageous request is a complete abuse of power. He is trying to silence those who love Christ and who desire that all souls be saved. Our Lord Jesus Christ told us to be as innocent as doves and as cunning as serpents. So we shut down the blog under the name of ‘ Protect the Pope’ we remain obedient and we open up another blog under another name and we keep it a secret and anonymous as to who really runs the show. This way the devils won’t know who we are. We can continue to have a forum to share our ideals, to love God, to serve his church be faithful to doctrine and to expose the wolves. However we do it in an anonymous way. We can support each other but be cunning and make sure the enemy does not know who we are. Maybe we can call the blog. I wish someone anonymously can set up a blog and invite those of us on this forum to post. We can post under all sorts of pseudonyms and they won’t know who we are.

Truly sorry to see this go, but we don’t know what goes on behind the scenes. The saints have shown that our obedience is rewarded. Pray and stay close to the sacraments. God bless you in your future endeavors and may God lead everyone involved, including Bishop Campbell, to where He intends via this decision.

While in the city I spent some time praying at St Chad’s Cathedral. The cathedral newsletter included a notice for an ACTA event and an ACTA poster was displayed prominently on the notice board at the main entrance. It appears that dissent is encouraged in (at least) one archdiocese while loyalty to Scripture, the Catechism and the Magisterium is suppressed in another diocese.

Sad to say but I came across a copy of the Portsmouth Diocesan magazine very recently and that also smelled of ACTA (letters to the editor, book reviews, dedicated space given over to highlighting ACTA – all of which were selected by someone for publication) – and that’s on +Philip Egan’s watch. Worrying times…

Yes, it was after that copy went out that Bishop Egan canned the publication pending a revamp! Not saying that this was the reason that the magazine has been suspended, but it will be interesting to see what replaces it.

Publication of ‘Portsmouth People’ has been suspended as the diocese is reviewing its communication methods.

‘MESSAGE FROM BISHOP PHILIP EGAN
As the Diocese of Portsmouth, we are currently engaging in an overhaul of our total communications package. We are, for example, planning to branch out more fully into digital media, offer media training, etc. Whilst we undertake this review, there will be a pause in production of Portsmouth People, before its re-launch in September of this year. Please bear with us as we move towards an even bigger and brighter communications offering.’

I believe there is a place for a blog that supports the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, that is true to Christ and has as its premise the seven spiritual works of mercy.

322. Which are the Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy?
The seven Spiritual Works of Mercy are:
1. To convert the sinner.
2. To instruct the ignorant.
3. To counsel the doubtful.
4. To comfort the sorrowful.
5. To bear wrongs patiently.
6. To forgive injustice,
7. To pray for the living and the dead.

My personal thanks to Deacon and Mrs Donnelly for all that has been done.

I would like to see a blog continue in some format and would support such a venture. If it is necessary to contact people seen as loyal to the Magisterium please feel free to contact me.
God Bless all.
As a postscript for our ‘time of rest’ here is a saying of St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort who was inspirational to Pope St John Paul II.
Ego dormio et cor meum vigilat (I sleep and my heart keeps watch).

Forget those who support quasi protestant groups like the SSPX (they should realise that there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church unless invincibly ignorant!) your loyalty will be rewarded just like Padre Pio’s. Your bishop has obviously had pressure put on him and has shown the true colour of his liver. Pray to Our Lady and St Michael the Archangel and all will be well. See a tribute to Protect the Pope and Deacon Nick at http://clearvisioncatholics.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/protect-pope-blog-has-been-closed.html on the CUT – Clear vision Catholics and the Media blog.

I would like to thank Deacon Nick and his wife for this wonderful blog.

I was a reader and commenter from the very beginning. I came across it because I was looking for reliable and up to date source of information about Benedict’s visit to Scotland and England and then became a regular reader.

The most valuable thing for me was the quality of the Deacon’s posts, especially his balance and charity – both in his posts and moderation of the forum. With all the junk in the media, this blog was one of the few news/commentary sites I regularly visited and never was disappointed.

The blog also was a source of spiritual guidance ever since Francis became Pope. Some of the things Francis has said have worried me very much, but the good Deacon always helped put things into perspective. This blog truly defended the Pope – be Benedict or Francis.

Dear Andrzej,
Rest assured that your words on this blog were always among the wisest. I liked your comments about Pope Francis – I too have felt a little anxious at times about some of the things Pope Francis has done during the first year of his Papacy, or at least have struggled to come to grips with his radically different style compared with that of Pope Emeritus Benedict, but Deacon Nick had always been a steadying hand, drawing out the goodness and the quality of Pope Francis’ homilies. God Bless you all.

I find it sad and disturbing that a diocesan bishop took time to silence this outstanding vehicle for Catholic apologetics and self-expression. I have experienced this myself, in my own quest for a diaconal vocation, years ago. Some bishops are reluctant to be seen as supporting supposedly going “rogue” whom they – the bishops – can’t control. Or worse, their staff maybe the culprit, painting the blogger in the worst colors possible, and the bishop feels he needs to intervene. Either way the result is tragic and good souls are tested unfairly.

Like a previous commenter said above, Deacon Nick should be applauded for his obedience to his bishop. Yes, there will always be other bloggers, but we need more good deacons like Deacon Nick to stay deacons.

To quote Jesus, “If I have said something wrong, tell me what it is. If not, then why do you strike me?”
There is such a thing as natural justice. Let the good Bishop explain his reasons for this, in order to justify what appears to be a harsh sentence.

On 29 April, 2014, His Excellency Michael Campbell, Bishop of Lancanster ordered the shut down of Deacon Nick Donnelly’s blog «Protect the Pope».

I don’t understand the politics involved, but I do understand that as an Asian Catholic living nowhere near the UK, and thus outside the jurisdiction from the diocese of Lancaster, His Excellency Campbell’s directives do not apply to me.

I am calling for all writers and contributors of the blog «Protect the Pope» to join me on Facebook and maintain the community that already exists. PM me for admin status. Thanks.

All that matters is the salvation of souls. Nothing else matters. Remember that in your prayers to God Deacon Nick and Madam Donnelly.

And if I may, I woulld like to recommend a book for you to read in these dark times. It is called “The horn of the unicorn”. It is the story of the life and times of Archbishop Lefebvre. Like you, he had to struggle with the question of obedience and authority.

Also, take comfort in reading the Psalms and include them in your prayers.

I am sorry this excellent and thoroughly orthodox Catholic blog had to end in this way. My prayers and sympathy go to your husband for his obedience, and to you, as I guess you act primarily from a sense of loyalty to him.

The Catholic Church is in a mess at present. There is a need for considered comment. But sadly, I detect a general move to suppress this. That is not good for Christ’s Mystical Body on Earth.

I personally think the bishop Campbell has made a serious error of judgement in acting in this way. Legitimate expression of concern should not and indeed cannot be suppressed. It will simply come out in other ways.

Please some one who can set up another blog. Tell us on this forum before the 4th May what the domain is and we all can continue there. Work under a pseudonym . From now on we will talk with pseudonyms and we can be faithful to Christ and his teachings and all who read on the new blog can learn the beautiful Truth and massage of Our Redeemer. St John Paul II said ‘ put your nets out into the deep to make a catch’ this is exactly what Protect the Pope did . Please some one who can set up another blog under another name perhaps ‘ We stand for Christ ‘. Don not let anyone know who you really are. Hide yourself from the devils for now.

I’m glad to see that there seems to be nucleus of people forming who want to keep this blog alive, either in physical, same URL, form or in spirit with a different name and site. I’d be open to either, and would be able (and willing) to contribute some time to such an effort, once the next few weeks of University exams have passed by…

Also, yes I’m happy for my email to be distributed to Sonja and/or polycarped – and any one else who expresses a concrete desire to see this blog remain. I suppose it has, at least, settled the intention for one of my decades of the Rosary, now that it’s May.

Regarding the Voris video-clip….yes he’s right….BUT…I can tell you where you WILL find devout youth…SSPX. Pity really that Voris “did the dirty” on SSPX. Voris said unless the Church does something now, the Church is washed up. Ummmm….no it’s not because Christ promised to be with us till the end of time (unless of course that’s where we’re heading) but at a guess, based on Voris’ statistics, in another generation or two all that will be left are the Trads. Then the dynamics will change….and it will be an uphill struggle…but the Trads are pretty much the only hope we’ve got…unless someone has a genius master plan up their sleeve…in which case they’d better get on with it fast.

I shall not repeat what the other contributors have said but merely add my thanks to both of you for the tremendous defence of orthodoxy in the chaos that surrounds us and for exposing those who would deviate and encourage others to deviate from the Church’s teaching. My first reaction was to set up a blog with the title “Protect Deacon Nick” but I have neither the time nor skills to do so. However, you are owed an explanation by Bishop Campbell and it would be a scandal and injustice if you are not given a full and candid one.

I’m not much of a blogger (yet!), but I am a web professional – and I’m not only very disappointed at the action of the Bishop here (and whoever is pressing him to do this), but also cheered by the response from so many people.

The Net interprets censorship as damage, and routes round it, as they say. There seem to be many people here willing to be part of that process.

And Mrs Donnelly: well done you for your courageous and impressively surefooted custodianship of the blog in Nick’s absence. Your shrewdness at spotting fakes,’merde de taureau’, and divisive blether makes you a naturally good blog-leader. And you often made me laugh with the calm dryness of your wit.
You’re both such a talented team, it would be a crying shame for you not to use those talents further in the future. I hope you will.

I am terribly sad at this news. Quite how your bishop thinks his totally useless mishandling of this is part of his good shepherding puzzles many. The piece on my blog by Geoffrey Sales expresses what many of us feel. God be with you both. Jess

Most of us in this combox are lay people. We do not have the same relationship to our bishop as dear Deacon Donnelly. This is neither a legal question or one for rebellion. In all trials, we make choices to endure unfair treatment in graciousness or not.

The day will come when all bloggers will be silenced by governments. Perhaps Deacon Donnelly is our fore-runner to teach us how to react. I, for one, trust in God in good times and in bad times. So all who are called to holiness have met with unfair, unjust treatment. Did Christ wail and complain when He Who Is All Perfect stand before unholy men and be judged. those of His own hierarchy, which He as God created?

We need to make choices which other generations before us did not have to make. These are choices for great saintliness. God is in charge and permits all types of evils for greater goods.

I am very sorry that this has happened . I am not as devout or as orthodox as Deacon Nick but I do know sincerity and goodness when I see it. Who knows – this may be a good thing – it may prove to be the tipping point……..
With gratitude and prayers

This very sad incident is a reminder that liberal catholics are neither liberal nor Catholic. Let’s pray for all of our bishops, priests and deacons – especially those who are putting their eternal salvation at risk.

O Lord Jesus Christ, we recall to mind how St Athanasius defended Thee and the true teachings of Thy Holy Church even at the risk of his life and his ministry, relying always for strength and comfort on his faith in Thee and his love for Thy Blessed Mother, Mary. Even when his foes stripped him of his worldly goods and managed to send him into exile five different times. This holy saint remained steadfast and true always, earning the love of Thy people and revealing the lies and treachery of Thine Enemies.

O Blessed Lord, through the intercession of this great saint, we beseech Thee to grant us our petitions (here mention your requests) asking also that Thou strengthen our faith and love and apportion to us the fervour and zeal of St Athanasius so that we too may totally serve Thee without reserve, hesitation or fear. Amen

I found a comment on Fr Z’s blog which says that like a newspaper, the domain could be sold or given to another party. Why not do this? A new site might take a while to get going again – people don’t always catch on to new websites, etc. The momentum achieved by this site would thus continue under new management.

“I would suggest that the good Deacon complies in the manner that a newspaper publisher might: By selling or giving the domain and the blog to someone else, whose posts will not be “on his behalf,” or indeed under his control. Suppose that I own the New York Times, and Cardinal Dolan “forbids” my continuing to publish it. One possibility is to shut down the newspaper. The more likely possibility is that I’ll just sell the newspaper to someone else, under whose stewardship it will continue to be published, only far more insulated from his eminence’s influence than it was under my stewardship. Why should a blog be any different?”

There is no reason why the blog should close. Bishop Campbell has instructed his deacon not to continue writing on the blog, or to have someone write on his behalf. So long as Deacon Nick obeys that request then that is all thay needs to happen. A husband and wife are different people and one does not necessarily act on the other’s behalf. But even if a deacon’s wife decided to stop so as to avoid making things uncomfortable for her husband there is no reason why management of the blog cannot be passed over to another person our persons to continue. If my services might be of any use I’m happy to help out with others if need be.

Bishop Campbell has no jurisdiction over what is written in this blog.

Am genuinely sorry to see this action being taken but like so may faithful sons and daughters of the church before you, well done for accepting the edict of the Bishop. The first reading this morning was from Acts about the wisdom of Gamaliel. It is apposite for your situation Deacon Nick.

no matter what happens the promise of the Lord stands on a solid foundation quote: the gates of hell will not prevail against the Holy Catholic Church and I will be with the Holy Catholic Church till the end of the times: end of quote.
again our Blessed Mother left a sure and loving promise to us her Children when she visited Fatima quote: only I can help you and at the end my Immaculate heart will triumph: end of quote.
The lawless one can counterfeit and mislead most of the Clergy , the Holy Rites of the Mass and other Sacraments, basic Dogma’s and Teachings of the Holy Mother Church, Devotion to Holy Statures, holy pictures and those who were never sincere with the Catholics Faith.

but the Faith of the Holy Catholic Church is much more than that; he will need to destroy the Undying Faith in each one of us who truly hold and serve Holy Mother Catholic Church,
the faith implanted in us through the Most Holy Body and Blood of our Lord in the Eucharist and other Sacraments, Catechisms and Church Traditions, through the Holy Rosary, Sacramentals and other private Holy prayers of the Church carefully passed on to us by the Faithful Fathers, Doctors and Mother Church.
WE NEED TO LEAVE AND STAY IN THE STATE OF GRACE ALWAYS so as not allow the the one who glories in evil carry us away, we must not allow him to entice us through his many agents and agencies spread all around us in the name of easy money and luxurious life.

The Holy and Most Worthy Mother of God did not abandon the Church at the Cross of Calvary and She will not abandon Her now on the Cross of the Altar.
let us continue to pray, conquer and CRUSH the the head of the enemy the ancient serpent with each: HAIL MARY FULL OF GRACE THE LORD IS WITH YOU BLESSED ARE YOU AMONG WOMEN AND BLESSED IS THE FRUIT OF YOUR WOMB JESUS HOLY MARY MOTHER OF GOD PRAY FOR US SINNERS NOW AND AT THE HOUR OF OUR DEATH. AMEN

Extremely sad to see the demise of this invaluable beacon of The True Catholic Faith.

I wonder if the Bishops will now set about emasculating the Catechism of the Catholic Church as well? After all, nothing Deacon Nick has ever written here on Protect the Pope has ever contradicted the Catechism; only expounded and explained it.

The Episcopal decision to smash this forum of Catholic Truth will be similar to Goethe’s “Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, this particular broom will turn into several more: not a very clever move on the part of the Bishop(s) but, then, the calibre of our dear bishops is at an all-time low in Britain at present.

I am sure many of us will be meeting again soon in other spheres of the Internet; until then God bless all the faithful and holy supporters of PtP and particularly Deacon and Mrs Donnelly.

In the meantime, I hope that the good deacon will appeal to the Bishops of England and Wales, and if that request is denied, then write to Pope Francis himself. He cold calls folks all of the time; deacon, leave your mobile number in the letter, and I imagine His Holiness may very well respond.

There was no heresy on this site, as far as I can tell. What are the objections- being a faithful Catholic, antithetical to the secular world? I just don’t understand.

I have been a strong supporter of this blog and have commented a few times. However, I am now confused as the Bishop of Lancaster has issued a press release on the Diocesan web site denying that he has closed down the “Protect the Pope” web site. I quote from the press release “To be clear:I have not closed down
Protect the Pope.” We need clarity.

I do believe that Mrs Donnelly has done an excellent job continuing the blog. We owe her a lot of thanks for her efforts. Many thanks to her husband for creating this blog and defending the Pope and our Faith. We must keep both of them in our prayers.

Dear All
I find myself here as somewhat of a penitent.
I had defended the statement of Bishop Campbell on the Facebook page of Lancaster Diocese and was, I thought, fairly evenhanded. I then, however, in a somewhat throwaway remark to a fellow “blogger” commented that I was not a particular supporter of Bishop Campbell believing that he had not been supportive to one of his clergy during a trial last year.
I find that I have now been “unfriended” and blocked by said Lancaster Diocese Facebook page! Thus, what I thought in the very recent past were slightly extreme views on this blog I find now are fair comment. For this, I must ask forgiveness.
In Domino
Nigel